The hazards of snake rescue

A renowned snake catcher in my home state in India is battling for his life after being bitten by a cobra. I have been coming across many discussions about snakes and snake rescue on social media so debunking some of the myths and stories surrounding snakes is essential.

Aren’t we all scared of snakes and especially the venomous ones? I read somewhere some time back that 80% of deaths happening due to snake bites is in reality due to cardiac arrests because we are terrified of snakes. The number could be an exaggeration but this is largely true. What most people do not know is, snakes stay away from us as much as they can because of very important reasons.

Snake venom is a lethal combination of proteins and enzymes. Proteins cause paralysis in their prey and immobilize them and ultimately killing them and enzymes help in the digestion of the prey. Snakes may not be able to chase all their prey so it is important for them to immobilize their prey first so that they can wait for the prey to die and then swallow it. Snakes hold their venom in glands on the sides of their head. They use their venom for two reasons : killing prey and countering any threats to them. Snakes do not eat us so we are not their prey. So the only reason they attack us is when they feel threatened by us. Once a snake uses all its venom it takes time for the glands to secrete venom again. During that time snakes are unable to catch prey or defend themselves. This is why once snakes consume a large prey they go hide themselves and rest till the prey is fully digested so that they get enough time to secrete their venom again. Snakes conserve their venom and use it only when it is absolutely required. This is why most venomous snakes warn us repeatedly before attacking us.

Why do we find snakes in our areas? First and the most important reason is we are encroaching more and more into forest land which is their natural habitat and we are destroying their natural food sources. But we are also inadvertantly providing them with alternate habitat and food sources. Rodents breed in large numbers where we store grains and other food items and we also have poultry farms. In nature a successful hunt can take anywhere from a day to a week which is why predators always look to catch the largest possible prey. So their natural instinct is to consume large quantities of food when they eat but they are adapting to us now because we are forcing them to. Now animals like snakes and jackals do not have to wait to catch a prey. They can easily come to human areas and consume the poultry we raise. In our granaries and other areas where we store our agricultural products and even in our houses we provide enough dark spaces for snakes to rest.

From snake rescue program Snake City shot in Durban, South Africa to Snakes SOS: Goa’s Wildest shot in Goa, India, rescuing snakes from urban areas have become popular TV shows. There are concerns about snake rescue though. Snake rescue depends entirely on people and situations. Many people may not bother to call for help to snake rescuers. They will just kill the snakes. Rescued snakes are taken to areas where there is enough green cover and let off. What eventually happens is, the population of snakes in those areas increases and with it the competition to find food. Then some or many of them will move away to areas where there are human settlements looking for food and the whole snake rescue process will repeat. When I was in Bangalore in 2016, I used to go for birding walks around a lake near a college campus. The entire area is covered with trees and there is ample green cover. Then one day I got to know that snakes rescued from anywhere in Bangalore was brought to this area and let off. That was quite scary because lots of people go for early morning walks in that area and around the lake. I even saw a cobra once in the area surrounding the lake.

To add to this, when snake venom enters our veins it goes straight into the heart causing immediate cardiac arrest. Neurotoxic venom destroys our nervous system making us paralyzed in no time. Snakes like spitting cobra can spit venom to considerable distances which can cause immediate blindness if it enters our eyes. I have read about the venom of sea snakes which can apparently melt our body cells and cause blood to ooze out of our skin pores. There is no treatment still available for venom of some of the sea snakes. Even a perfectly healthy immune system will not be able to protect us from such toxic venom. Prevention is better than cure fits nowhere better than with snake bites. Understanding snakes and their behavior will go a long way in helping us from getting bitten by them.

Snake rescue is not a glamorous act as some snake rescuers are portraying it to be. All of them may have gone through a snake bite induced near death experience at least once in their lives. We do not have any options though. With our exponentially increasing population and ever increasing encroachment into forest land, we are going to have to coexist with the animals that are adapting to the changes we are forcing on nature.